Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Abu Dhabi

“The best part about improv is that the audience is really invested in the show. It’s very fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. I also like that you can laugh on stage.” Phill Jupitus

The other half and I had a fun night at the Abu Dhabi’s Intercontinental Hotel last week watching the live improvisational comedy show ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway’. Having been a fan of the Channel 4 television series, that was originally a radio show, back in the late 80s and 90s, it’s always great to see it live on stage especially when the more bizarre suggestions are shouted out by the audience and only quick wit saves the scenario.

Tucked away on the ground floor of the hotel, the auditorium (we didn’t even realise this hotel had a theatre and we’ve even stayed there) was the perfect size for the intimate comedy gig. The simple stage was set with five chairs and a table full of hop based beverages, what more do veterans of the comedy circuit need and after all it’s all about the humour!

Five chairs, some hop based beverages and a group of comedians is all you need for a funny evening

Seated with a nice glass of red, we enjoyed the non-stop show full of sketches, gags, songs, bizarre accents and even dancing.

The original line up on their second visit to Abu Dhabi (source:timeoutdubai.com)

The travelling crew of comedians on the Middle East tour was made up of Stephen Frost, Steve Steen, Andy Smart and Ian Coppinger from London’s Comedy Store Players collective, were the same group that we saw in the same show a couple of years ago at Yas Island. This time they were joined by special guest British comedian and team captain of the TV music quiz series ‘Never Mind the Buzzcock’s’, Phill Jupitus. As a Buzzcock’s fan I was excited to see Mr Jupitus bring his unique form of humour or is that sarcasm to the performance and after a somewhat slow start he delivered in his own quirky dimissive way.

Abu Dhabi debut for Special Guest Phill Jupitus (source:timeoutdubai.com)

As the show progressed through the different games, the audience were asked to shout out anything from a place, a country, an object to a film style and the more obscure the better the ensuing comedy and the more the guys misbehaved, the more they stitched each other up. One of the funniest rounds was when one of the guys speaks in a gibberish foreign language (supposedly Latvian) and another one translated for the audience and had him singing and dancing among other things, all most hilarious. The beauty of this show it that its unique as the comedy is dictated by the audience so even though the rounds/games were the same as last time the content was all new on the night.

The Hilarity in full swing on stage

Interviewed ahead of the Abu Dhabi show Jupitus told Timeout Dubai “Every show is like a snowflake – they’re all unique. They’re so transitory and when you get off stage, you can’t quite believe what has just happened. There are so many factors involved in making a good show: your mood, the audience… it’s unpredictable. It demands a lot from you.”

The The humour was definitely more of an adult nature